End of Watch: Different Perspective on a Movie about Police Officers

This past weekend, I decided to go to the movies and see End of Watch.  To be completely honest, I was not even sure what the movie was about.  But, based on the previews, it appeared to be an action packed movie.  If you have not seen the movie, but plan to do so, continue reading with caution.  I will not spoil the ending, but I will discuss certain scenes from the movie.        

The movie is about the friendship of two police officers who are assigned to protect and serve in the mean streets of South Central, Los Angeles.  Officers Brian Taylor (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavalo (played by Michael Pena) are the officers’ lives chronicled in the movie.  David Ayer directed End of Watch and he also directed Training Day.  As much as I enjoyed Training Day, End of Watch is completely different on almost every level.  The Los Angeles Police Department (“LAPD) has been the subject of many scandals over the course of U.S. history.  LAPD officers were implicated in the Rodney King beating, the O.J. Simpson trial, and even in the murders and arrests of countless other innocent people.  That said, I am not surprised the LAPD is portrayed negatively on the big screen.  This movie does not take that view.  It shows two officers who are men of high moral standards.

This movie is not a typical police “buddy” movie like Lethal Weapon, Bad Boys, Beverly Hills Cop, Die Hard, 48 Hours and The Last Boyscout.  Those movies are good, but each movie is not realistic in terms of the partnership between the police officers.  This movie showed us how Taylor and Zavalo were friends and also why they were close.  I think both officers represent the norm, in that they are honest, hard working, non-corrupt professionals.  They both had differences, but their core values were very much aligned.  Both officers loved their families, believed in doing the right thing (not the easy thing), would risk life and limb to save a person and really believed in the concept of brotherhood.  Some people claim to be brothers, but never treat each other that way.  These two cops “talked the talk” and “walked the walk.” 

This movie made me think about police officers in a way I never had done before.  It increased my appreciation for the tough job police officers have to do.  It made me appreciate police officers’ spouses, who know that their wife/husband can be killed in the line of duty any given day.  Sometimes people become frustrated with police officers.  How many people get mad at police officers when they get speeding tickets for going five miles over the speed limit?  We often ask ourselves the rhetorical question: Don’t you have something better to do than give me a speeding ticket?!  Why don’t you fight “real crime” and leave me alone!?  Bad police officers are often portrayed by the media and movie directors.  But, just as attorneys are often portrayed as dishonest people, I believe an overwhelming majority of police officers are good, honest people.

Regardless of how you feel about police officers, it would be very difficult to deny that they have an extremely difficult job.  They are charged with protecting and serving the public from the bad element that certainly exists.  Also, they do this job, while being grossly underpaid and underappreciated.  David Ayer does an excellent job bringing together the “other side.”  He truly showed how police officers can be heroes.  It kind of made me think of the way firefighters are often portrayed as fearless, selfless heroes.  Good police officers should be seen in the same light.

My favorite scene from the movie occurred when Zavalo and Taylor responded to an emergency call about a house being on fire.  They arrived at the house, after being on duty all day, and saw a woman running from her burning house.  She was screaming and crying hysterically that her children were still in the house.  Instinctively, Zavalo charges into the house, with Taylor following behind him.  The scene was particularly powerful because Zavalo’s wife was pregnant with their first child.  He did not think about himself, or family.  He was only interested in doing the right thing and saving the children.  Zavalo and Taylor climbed the stairs to the childrens' bedroom, as the house was becoming even more engulfed by flames.  They grabbed the children from the burning house, but as soon as they brought the kids outside, the mother said that her daughter was still inside the burning house.  Again, Zavato and Taylor darted back into the burning house, which by that time, was literally a ticking time bomb.  They saved the child, but narrowly escaped death.  The scene embodied the selflessness with which many police officers perform their jobs.  It is truly a powerful scene.      

This movie discussed many serious topics, including human trafficking.  In one scene, the officers found themselves following a lead that led them to a house full of slaves being trafficked for money.  It also discussed the problem with drug trafficking and the impact South American drug cartels have on the drug trade in the United States.  There are even a few scenes in the movie that discussed the importance of the union of marriage and discouraged infidelity.

If you have not seen this movie, you should definitely check out.        

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G.O.O.D. Music's Cruel Summer: The GOOD, bad and ugly

When I first heard that Kanye West had assembled his own “Dream Team,” I was intrigued.  Kanye is one of the most talented artists in the music industry, regardless of genre.  He is often highly inappropriate (see Taylor Swift fiasco) and funny at the same time.  Regardless of whether you like Kanye, it is difficult not to respect his immeasurable talent and contributions to hip hop.  His roster is strong, as it includes: Pusha T, Big Sean, Common, Cyhi The Prynce and a host of other talented artists.  In my opinion, his roster rivals, if not bests, Maybach Music Group’s roster featuring Rick Ross, Wale and Meek Mill.  With those two groups battling for the top spot, hip hop is becoming fun again.  It will never be as competitive as it was in the mid 90’s, but this is truly a step in the right direction.

THE GOOD:

Cruel Summer’s production is stellar.  It was clear to me after listening to the first song that I was in for a treat.  Not only does the album feature G.O.O.D. music artists, but it also features other heavy hitting artists such as: R. Kelly, Mase, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, John Legend and many more.  I like many songs on the album, but I will only discuss three.

The song titled “Clique” is an energetic collaboration between Jay-Z, Kanye, and Big Sean.  This is the song that you will here over and over again if you frequent night clubs, lounges or bars.  Jay-Z absolutely went crazy on his verse, but Kanye more than held his own.  Some would say that it is knock on Jay-Z.  I disagree, and think that it is a testament to Kanye’s ability and growth as an artist.  I usually select a favorite verse or line from a song, but on this song, I really love the hook.  I feel like it describes my closest friends and I.  The hook is: “Ain’t nobody f**king with my clique, clique, clique, clique, clique, Ain’t nobody fresher than my muthf**king clique, clique, clique, clique, clique, As I look around , they don’t do it like my clique, clique, clique, clique, clique and all these bad [women], man, they want the, they want the.”  I predict that this song will be in heavy rotation as “homecoming” season approaches. 

“The Morning” featuring Raekwon, Pusha T, Common, Two Chainz, Cyhi the Prince and Kid Cudi is another one of my favorite songs.  The beat is full of energy and I had to replay the song at least four or five times because I found myself focusing too much on the production and not the lyrics.  Each artist performed how I expected that they would.  But, Cyhi rapped my favorite verse on the song.  His verse sticks out to me because he has a message for his detractors and conspiracy theorists.  He raps: “ I hope the people are listening, I could never sell my soul, I gave it back to God at my Christening, it’s tickeling when I hear what haters be whispering, what makes you think Illuminati would ever let some ni**as in . . . “  Kanye did his thing on the track as well.

Although I had previously heard “New God Flow” by Kanye and Pusha T, the addition of Ghostface Killah really made the track standout to me.  It almost feels like featuring Ghost on the track was the right thing to do because they sampled his voice.  Ghost has always been one of my favorite artists because of his immense talent and creativity.  I often find myself laughing outloud at some of his rhymes and his verse on this song was no different.  He rhymed: “ I got soccer moms paying for c**k, Asians getting it from behind while they are cleaning their woks . . . “

Cyhi really stepped his lyrical game up on this album, and I think he will be featured more in the future.  I thought it was a nice touch that Kanye included Mase and R. Kelly on his album as well.

THE bad

Inevitably, critics will have something negative to say about an album.  In this case, I think the album should have had more songs.  And I also think it could have included more songs that had not previously been released.

the ugly

Kid Cudi’s song “Creepers” is by far the worst song on the album.  If the album has a blemish, it must be “Creepers.”  It just seems to be out of place.

Overall, the album is really good.  I am excited to hear Kanye’s new solo album because it is clear that he has not lost any momentum.

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Hip Hop: 10 Songs That Embody The Culture

So, the other day I received a text message with a link to a blog.  I opened the link and began reading the post titled “What Does Hip Hop Look Like to You?” on http://verysmartbrothas.com/.  The entry is one of the most creative posts I have seen in quite some time.  The basic premise of the post requires you to imagine that you have the opportunity to introduce an open-minded person to hip hop.  You are to assume that the person does not have pre-conceived notions about hip hop.  Basically, assume the person represents a blank canvas and you have the opportunity to paint a picture of what hip hop is to you. The post then poses a question: If given an opportunity to select ten songs that embody the hip hop spirit, what songs would you choose?  Please check out the post at http://verysmartbrothas.com/. 

After reading the post, I immediately sat down and selected my ten songs.  As you can imagine, choosing only ten songs out of thousands of songs is not easy.  I created a preliminary list, and then over the weekend, I discussed the topic with two of my friends.  We “round tabled” the topic and everyone chose their ten songs.  I am certain that if I choose a list in a few weeks, that list will be slightly, if not, dramatically different from the list posted below.  I will get back to that in a minute, but I have to discuss a hip hop documentary I watched over the weekend as well.

The documentary is titled “The Art of Rap” and it was directed by Ice-T.  He traveled to different cities across the country and interviewed legendary emcees and producers. The list of interviewees reads like a “who’s who” of hip hop. Some of the participants included: Q-Tip, Eminem, Nas, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, M.C. Lyte, Salt, Treach, Mos Def, Kool Moe Dee, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Doug E. Fresh, Raekwon, Common, D.J. Premier, and many others.  One of my favorite parts of the documents is when Ice-T asked the artists to rap a lyric, from any era, that was stuck in their head.  It was interesting to hear the lyrics each artist chose.  Also, it was even more interesting to hear their explanations as to why the song was included.  Dr. Dre had one of the more memorable moments in the documentary.  He said that during his 27 years in the business, he had never gone more than two weeks without being in the studio.  That is dedication to a craft!  Eminem’s responses were interesting as well; he discussed his thought process for making a song and for trying to make the best, most creative music possible.  If you have not seen the documentary, and you love hip hop, you should check it out. 

Back to the 10 songs I would choose (this list is in no particular order).

Pete Rock & CL Smooth—“T.R.O.Y” (They Reminisce Over You).  This song is the perfect combination of lyrics, timing and production.  If there has ever been a perfect song, this may be it.    

Nas—“Rewind.”  This song represents the creative element of hip hop.  Nas rapped an entire story from the end to the beginning.  Up until I heard that song, I had never heard anything like it.    

Eminem—“Lose Yourself.”  This song represents that moment in life when you get the opportunity to shine.  As an attorney, this song describes that feeling you have while preparing for an appearance in court.  You are nervous, anxious, and excited.

Tupac—“Dear Mama”  This song represents the sensitive side of hip hop.  It is an ode to mothers.  It was written by one of the greatest and most contradictory artists of all time.  Tupac was not afraid to say what was on his mind.  He would make an ode to mothers on Monday and by Friday, he would make a song like “Hit Em Up.” 

Ice Cube—“Today Was a Good Day” This song represents that perfect day when you wake up, the weather is perfect, and your spirits are high.  This is the ultimate “feel good” song. 

Wu Tang Clan—“C.R.E.A.M”  This song made my list because it epitomizes the mid-1990’s hip hop scene.  This song represents the grimey rap when everyone wore Timberland boots, skullies, gold chains and fronts.  This is the era right before Puffy’s infamous “shiny suit” era.  Wu-Tang Clan told a story about growing up in the United States while being an impoverished, African-American male.  Truly great song.

Slick Rick—“Children’s Story”  This song represents the storytelling component of hip hop.  Slick Rick is widely recognized as being the best story-teller in the history of hip hop.  In Children’s Story, he was at his best.

Mobb Deep—“Shook Ones”  This song represents the perfect beat for a rap battle.  It is also another song from the grimey era of hip hop that I appreciate so much.

Talib Kweli—“Expansion Outro”  This song represents the historical component of hip hop.  Talib tells the story about four women, which was inspired by Nina Simon’s song “Four Women.”  This song teaches so many lessons about respecting our elders.  If you have not heard it before, please check it out.

The Geto Boys—“Mind is Playing Tricks On Me”  This song represents the dark side of hip hop.  The Geto Boys discuss psychological issues.  It is kind of ironic that the Geto Boys made this song since one of its members; Bushwick Bill struggled with psychological problems.  Like many other seldom discussed topics, hip hop has always discussed the issues that other genres will not. 

Which ten songs would you choose?

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Lebron James & Kevin Durant: Best Friends, Training Partners, Who Cares?

Skip Bayless is undeniably the biggest Lebron James hater.  Do not get me wrong; I appreciate sports announcers who offer reasonable opinions about players, but I despise those who make outrageous remarks for the sake of fan retention.  I do not know Skip personally, but from what I see on television, I do not think we would get along.  Seriously, I am unsure if Lebron James physically assaulted him, or slapped his son, or stole his girlfriend, but it is clear that Skip hates him.   He refers to him as “Queen James,” which is clearly a derogatory phrase. Frequently, he has said that Lebron does not play with “heart” and that he “choked” during the 2011 NBA finals.  I think it is fair to say that he choked in the 2011 NBA Finals.  But, I think it is unfair to say he does not play with “heart.”  Yesterday, however, he said a few things that are downright ridiculous.  He said that Lebron James “owns” Kevin Durant because they train together during the NBA offseason.  He also alluded to the fact that Lebron finally won an NBA championship because he competed against his "friend," Kevin Durant.  Anyone who watched the Finals knows that James and Durant both wanted to win the NBA title.  In fact, Durant cried when his team was unsuccessful.      

So what was Skip Bayless talking about?  Apparently, Kevin Durant and Lebron James have trained together during the past two summers.  According to Bayless, because Durant has traveled to Akron, Ohio to train, Lebron “owns” him.  That idea is as ridiculous as it sounds.  They forged a relationship during the lockout shortened 2011 offseason.  They also played in a number of charity basketball games and they arranged a friendly flag football game.  Skip Bayless does not approve of James and Durant working out together.  Who cares?  They are widely recognized as the two best players in the world.  Why not train together and make each other better?  What is the problem with that?    

This conversation begs the question: Would Michael Jordan have trained with one of his rivals?  Would he have trained with Magic Johnson, or Larry Bird?  The answer is most certainly “no.”  Would Kobe have ever trained with Allen Iverson, Vince Carter or Tracy McGrady?  Again, the answer is most certainly “no.”  Although the previously mentioned athletes probably would not have trained together, I am sure they each wanted to train against the best talent.  From a tactical perspective, what is a better method of spying on your rivals than training with them?  I would love to sit down and learn from some of the most skilled attorneys in the state.  A lot can be said about learning from the best.  The media selling a story that a player somehow “sold out” his franchise because he worked with a rival probably plays a bigger role than the players not wanting to work with each other.  It is political.  I digress. 

An important fact that is rarely discussed is the impact Amateur Athletic Union (“AAU”) teams have had on NBA players.  When Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were in high school, AAU basketball was not prevalent.  In fact, I am not even sure it existed.  If it did, it was certainly not the juggernaut that it is today.  Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady benefited from AAU basketball.  The student-athletes on their level are afforded opportunities to travel domestically and internationally and compete against the best high school players in the world.  That said, big time players have an opportunity to meet and develop relationships with other big time players over the course of years.  So, when the players reach the NBA, they already have a group of people who have traveled a similar path and that they feel comfortable confiding in.  The value of being able to trust someone cannot be underestimated in the often shady world of professional sports. I think that because James and Durant developed relationships through AAU, or USA National Teams or Olympics Teams, it is easier for them to trust one another.  However, that does not mean that they do not want to beat their “friend” even more than they want to best an enemy.  Personal bragging rights among friends is important to most people and that includes super star NBA players.  James and Durant may train together, but best believe they want nothing more than to beat each other on the biggest stage.  Lebron has the upper hand now, but I imagine that will only make Durant work that much harder.  The result: Miami Heat v. Oklahoma City Thunder (Part two)—June 2013 NBA Finals.

That is a win for NBA fans.

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Suits: The Best Show on Television

Up until a few months ago, I did not have a favorite television show.  In fact, the only thing I watched on television was basketball.  But, today is a new day! The USA network created a show called Suits and I am a huge fan.  I watched the entire second season during a two-week period.  As a practicing attorney, I am usually not interested in watching shows purporting to depict attorneys.  Those shows often help advance the misconception that attorneys are greedy, corrupt, lying individuals.  Or, the shows sensationalize the courtroom and make it seem like a circus.  The overuse of legalese or “lawyerspeak” often turned me off as well.  Most attorneys do not spend every hour of each day preparing for court, or even appearing in court.  Most attorneys do not start every sentence with “therefore” or “heretofore.”  Luckily, Suits does not advance those ridiculous ideals.

Suits is about a big-time Manhattan law firm called Pearson Hardman.  Only the best and brightest lawyers practice at Pearson Hardman.  The managing partner of the firm is played by Gina Torres.  One of the brightest associates at the firm, Mike Ross, has a secret that could lead to the downfall of the firm.  His secret is—he is not an attorney because he never attended law school.  But he perpetuates a lie and claims that he graduated from Harvard Law School.  His lie is one of the best sub plots of the show.  Harvey Spector, senior attorney is the only person in the firm who knows about Mike’s secret, which makes him responsible.  The show is also filled with power battles and competition for law firm superiority.  The show’s characters are believable and make the show spectacular.   

My favorite character is Harvey Spector.  Harvey is the youngest senior partner in the history of Pearson Hardman.  He is brash, sharp, witty and very outspoken.  He practices law on the edge.  Attorneys all across the country are bound by Professional Rules of Responsibility.  Balancing moral values and the Rules is something all attorneys have to deal with.   Harvey straddles the gray area and sometimes, he crosses the line in the wrong direction.  If Harvey was a real attorney, he would probably not have a license to practice law. He is ambitious and he absolutely buries his enemies in the dirt.  People know not to cross Harvey. 

Mike Ross is probably my second favorite character.  He is the young associate who received his start in the realm of law by taking the Law School Admissions Test for students for money.  He has a shady background, but he is also a genius.  He is as talented as any attorney at the firm, even though he has never been formally trained.  Informally, he is Harvey’s understudy.  Although he should not be practicing law, I like the character and want to see him succeed.  But, I am certain that his little secret will be uncovered during the third season.

Louis Litt is Harvey Spector’s nemesis.  Louis is a bit older than Harvey; yet, Harvey became a senior partner before him.  He is a great attorney but he does not have that “it” factor that all great individuals possess.  He is socially awkward and does not have a life outside of work.  He is extremely bright, but the only thing that makes him happy is the fact that he is more intelligent than most people.  He wants to be appreciated and praised for his good work.  Although a very good attorney, he is not quite as good as Harvey, and that fact eats away at his very existence.  He also has a weird sense of humor and Harvey almost beats him to a pulp in a few different scenarios because he is so shady.  I believe his hatred for Harvey will become even more important during season three.

Jessica Pearson is the managing partner at Pearson Hardman.  She is charged with making sure the multi-million dollar firm runs like a well oiled machine.  She is obviously very intelligent, and she is also a double minority, which is an interesting touch.  She is a strong woman who has a high moral compass.  But, she is also very competitive and hates losing.  Her character epitomizes many on my fellow colleagues.  Almost innately, most attorneys are very competitive and do not like to lose.  As the leader, she has to deal with serious issues between the partners.  She even had to deal with her role as managing partner being challenged by a fellow partner.  She was able to defeat that uprising in typical Jessica Pearson fashion. 

The show is my favorite at the moment, and the new season begins on the USA network in January.  Check it out.

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